Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that can be acute — a painful episode often triggered by gallstones or alcohol — or chronic, where the gland is progressively destroyed over years, causing pain, malnutrition, and diabetes. Severe acute pancreatitis carries significant mortality, and chronic pancreatitis remains one of the most painful abdominal conditions.
What's actually going on in research
Several drugs targeting the inflammatory cascade in acute pancreatitis — including IL-1 and neutrophil extracellular trap inhibitors — are in trials to prevent progression to severe necrosis. For chronic pancreatitis, endoscopic and surgical drainage procedures are being compared in trials, and pain management strategies using endoscopic, surgical, and neuromodulation approaches are actively studied. The relationship between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer risk is driving surveillance schedule development.
Anti-inflammatory drugs
Trials are testing IL-1 pathway inhibitors and complement blockers to interrupt the inflammatory cascade that causes organ failure in severe acute pancreatitis.
Endoscopic vs. surgical drainage
For painful chronic pancreatitis with ductal obstruction, trials are comparing endoscopic stenting versus surgical procedures for long-term pain relief.
Pancreatic enzyme replacement
Optimizing enzyme replacement therapy — timing, dose, and formulation — is being studied to improve nutrition and reduce fat malabsorption in people with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on pancreatitis type (acute vs. chronic), severity, etiology (alcohol, gallstones, genetic), ductal anatomy, and pain characteristics.
What types of trials are currently open
- Acute pancreatitis trials — Testing anti-inflammatory drugs, nutrition strategies, and interventions to prevent organ failure.
- Chronic pancreatitis pain trials — Comparing endoscopic, surgical, and neuromodulation approaches for intractable pancreatic pain.
- Prevention trials — Testing strategies to prevent gallstone pancreatitis recurrence and alcohol-related pancreatitis.
- Nutrition trials — Evaluating enzyme replacement, nutritional support, and diet modifications in exocrine insufficiency.
- Cancer surveillance trials — Testing CT and endoscopic ultrasound surveillance protocols for chronic pancreatitis patients at elevated cancer risk.
Recently added Pancreatitis trials
Russian Extreme Hypertriglyceridemia Registry
The REGGI registry is a prospective, multicenter observational registry in Russia designed to collect data on patients with extreme hypertriglyceridemia (triglyceride levels ≥10 mmol/L). The registry aims to describe the clinical, demographic, and molecular-genetic characteristics of patients, as well as current diagnostic approaches and treatment patterns in real-world practice. The collected data may inform future research and support improvements in patient care.
Prophylactic PS Placement to Prevent Pancreatitis After Endoscopic Transpapillary GPC for Cholelithiasis With Concomitant Choledocholithiasis
In this multicenter, randomized trial, patients with cholelithiasis with concomitant choledocholithiasis based on inclusion and exclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to receive rectal indomethacin alone or the combination of indomethacin plus a prophylactic pancreatic stent after endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder-preserving cholecystolithotomy.Clinical data and patient-reported outcomes are regularly collected at baseline and during follow-up periods. The study aims to analyze the impact of pancreatic duct stent implantation on the incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis in gallstone patients treated with ERCP-GPC by comparing the efficacy differences between the experimental and control groups. Additionally, the study investigate the effects of pancreatic duct stent placement post-ERCP on other postoperative complications, conduct a comparative analysis of the economic benefits of placing versus not placing pancreatic duct stents after ERCP, and develop effective clinical strategies for preventing pancreatitis after gallbladder-preserving stone extraction in gallstone patients.
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